Winter Wonderland
by legend-of-stelena
Summary: A fluffy one shot about Stefan and Elena celebrating Christmas together. Completely AU and all human. Stelena with mentions of Klaroline and Bamon.


**Hey, world! It's almost Christmas, so why not write a (much needed, I'd like to add) Stelena Christmas one shot? This thing is completely AU and everyone's a human because I want them to be. Also, there might be a little (a lot) (a load of) fluff in this story because us SE shippers need it after all the BS we've gotten. Enjoy!**

Elena woke up at exactly seven in the morning to her alarm clock blaring Jingle Bell Rock.  
She hit the 'Off' button and looked at Stefan, who was lying next to her.  
Stefan, who still had his eyes shut. Sighing, she a grabbed her pillow and hit him. He jolted awake.  
"It's Christmas Eve! We have to get ready for the party!" she said.  
"What party?" he asked sleepily.  
"The Christmas party? You know, the one that Caroline, Bonnie, and Damon are flying to attend?"  
"Love, it's the twenty third, not the twenty fourth."  
She raised an eyebrow. "It's the twenty fourth, Stefan."  
Shaking his head, he grabbed his phone on the bedside table and turned it on.  
"It's the twenty fourth!" he yelled in surprise.  
"Told you," she responded with a smug voice.  
"I'm sorry I ever doubted you."  
"You should be," she responded playfully.

* * *

She had changed into a fresh set of clothes while Stefan went downstairs to prepare breakfast. She tied up her long hair into a ponytail and put on a pair of small, silver hoops; a birthday gift from Stefan.  
She was about to open the door when her eyes fell on the diamond on her finger. She smiled at the memories it brought.

_"Merry Christmas, Miss Gilbert," Stefan whispered.  
"Merry Christmas to you too, Mr. Salvatore."  
He smirked.  
"What?" she asked.  
He gave a small laugh. "I know this is a completely cliché thing to do right now but," he reached into his sweater pocket, "will you marry me?" he asked on one knee.  
She gasped and yelled yes. He slipped the ring on her finger and they shared the perfect kiss. And another one. And another one. And another.  
In between each kiss, she whispered some variation of the word yes against his lips before they immediately connected once more._

They had gotten married that spring, on a beautifully sunny day in the middle of May.  
She knew it would be impossible to beat last Christmas, but at least this year, her best friends were coming back to town after moving away for college. Caroline was coming from Louisiana and was even bringing her new boyfriend, Klaus, who she had met in the art department of where she was studying to be an interior designer. Bonnie was finally coming home from New York after leaving for Law School three years ago and Damon, Stefan's brother, was flying from Connecticut, where he had gone to reunite with his old friend, Enzo.

When she remerged from her thoughts, she headed downstairs where Stefan was at the stove making eggs. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his cheek from behind.  
"Looks good," she said, unsure if she was talking about the eggs or him.  
"Thanks," he replied. "You know, usually, it's the guy that hugs the girl from behind while she cooks."  
"I know. But you know I can't cook. At all."  
It was completely true. She never learned how to properly cook. When she made cookies they were dry, when she made pie it was too sweet, when she made pancakes she almost burnt the kitchen down. It wasn't her fault; her mother couldn't cook either. It was always her father, and he had always insisted on cooking himself, not wanting to bother them and teach them to cook. So when she met Stefan and learned he could cook really well, she was relieved. Stefan was the chef of this household, but she didn't mind. The man could make the _best _fettuccini alfredo.  
"Of course I know, love. Remember when you forgot to add sugar into the fudge you were making?"  
"Mistakes were made, okay? It wasn't my proudest moment."  
"What would you do without me?"  
She pretended to think long and hard about it. "I would either move back into my parents house and have my dad cook for me all the time or live on a diet of takeout and fast food that would eventually kill me."  
"Point taken," he replied. He turned around and kissed her forehead. "So what's the plan for today?"  
"Depends. How long do you have to be at work today?"  
Stefan had become a doctor at Mystic Falls General Hospital, which meant he always had to work; even on Christmas Eve.  
"I took the next two weeks off."  
"You did?" she asked gleefully.  
"For you. Anyways, you were saying?"  
"Right. I'm going to go out and get some last minute presents. Would you be okay with staying here and making the food?"  
"Of course," he answered. "Anything to please you."  
She grinned. Sometimes, she wondered how she and Stefan made everything work. They had met in high school and had fallen madly in love. Being that they were high school sweethearts, many of their friends and family thought they weren't going to last; especially after Stefan had gone away for medical school while she studied to be a writer at Whitmore College which was only forty minutes away from home. They had both met and dated other people that turned out to be airheads in his case and morons in hers. They defied everyone's original thoughts and had gotten back together when he graduated and came back to town to become a doctor at the hospital. Some thought that he came back for Elena, and in many cases, this might have been true, but he became extremely successful, letting everything fall into place. Stefan became head doctor, Elena wrote three bestsellers and all was well.

* * *

Elena set out right after breakfast and after Stefan began preparing the turkey. She headed to various stores and malls to find the perfect gifts for her friends.  
She bought Caroline a charm bracelet along with three charms: a camera, a paint bucket, and a small house, the camera representing Caroline's love of photography and the paint bucket and house for her future career as an interior designer. For Klaus, she got watercolour paints, chalk pastels, and a few other art supplies based on what her friend told her about his love and fascination of art. She got Bonnie a pair of boots and a scarf and finally, a new leather jacket for Damon.  
Now Stefan was left.  
She had no idea what to get him. He deserved the whole world from her. Nothing was enough to show how much she loved him.  
Finally, she settled on a plane ticket to Italy so he could visit his parents. It certainly cost quite a bit, but he was worth every cent.

She made it back home with three hours to spare before their friends arrived. She showered and wrapped up the presents while her hair dried. When everything was ready and her hair was dry, she curled it and put it up in a bun with some wispy curls hanging down in the way Stefan loved. Then, she put on a white dress with a lacy collar and sleeves and her favourite pair of silver heels.  
As Stefan showered, she searched through his medical tools until she found one of his extra stethoscopes (he always kept spares at home because he hated using the same one for than two months.)  
Elena found out she was pregnant a week ago, but she was still awed. She had been three months along before she made the discovery. According to her online research, you could hear a baby's heartbeat after about thirteen weeks, so here she was.  
She put the buds into her ears and set the cold metal to her stomach.  
It was so soft, barely audible, but it was there. She smiled as wide as she could and began crying happy tears.  
"Everything okay?" Stefan asked from the doorway.  
"It's wonderful." She beckoned him towards her. "Listen," she said quietly.  
He put the buds into his ears and was silent before looking at her with amazement in his emerald eyes.  
"You're...you're pregnant?" he asked as if he still couldn't believe it. Not that she blamed him; she still had trouble believing there was life inside her stomach as well.  
"Yes."  
He laughed and so did she before he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and his slithered around her waist.  
She hadn't seen him this ecstatic since their wedding.

The knocks came about an hour later.  
When Elena opened the door, she came face to face with the friends she hadn't seen in forever.  
"Bonnie! Caroline!" she shouted.  
"Elena!" they shouted back in unison before they shared a group hug.  
"I haven't seen you in ages!" Bonnie said.  
"Well, it isn't our fault that you moved to New York for _three years_," Caroline explained.  
Stefan soon came over and shared a hug with Damon.  
"It's been a while, baby brother," Damon told him.  
"It really has been."  
When Stefan moved away from Damon, Stefan went to Caroline (they were extremely close friends, strangely enough) and Damon went to Bonnie, pressing a small kiss to her lips.  
Elena raised an eyebrow. "When did this start?"  
"About a year and a half ago," Bonnie clarified. "He went to New York and we just happened to run into each other in front of NYU. We got coffee for old times sake and hit it off."

"Oh, I'm such an idiot! Everyone, this is Klaus," Caroline mentioned when a blond guy walked up to the house. "He's my fiancée."  
She held up her left hand and showed off the gold band on her ring finger.  
"Pleasure to meet all of you," Klaus said.  
"British accent?" Bonnie asked Caroline.  
"I know right? How lucky am I?" Caroline responded.  
"Extremely," Elena answered.  
"Don't forget, you're already married," Bonnie reminded her.  
"How could I forget?"

* * *

The rest of the night went by wonderfully. Everyone shared stories from the past and each of them took turns telling the most embarrassing tales from their childhood over wine and turkey at dinner. Elena shared the news that she was having a baby and Bonnie and Caroline squealed in delight. Then it was time for gifts. Everyone loved what everybody else got them. Although, Bonnie did get a bit jealous when Stefan brought over the puppy he had gotten for Elena. Bonnie had always wanted a dog.  
According to Stefan, since he was at the hospital for incredibly long hours while she stayed home writing nearly all day, the dog was so she could have company. He loved that she had gotten him a trip to visit his parents, but he insisted that she come with him, so they had a travel agency to visit in the next few days.  
It got late and their friends left for the night, promising to visit again soon during their one week stay.  
Finally, it was just Stefan and Elena.  
She went out onto the balcony attached to their room. He eventually came as well and wrapped a shawl around her shoulders before pulling her closely.  
"Did you have a good Christmas?" he inquired.  
She nodded. "It was great seeing everyone again. And I can't believe Bonnie and Damon got together."  
"Neither can I. Well, this is good for Damon. He hasn't gotten into a serious relationship with anyone yet. It'd be great for him to settle down."  
"I agree."  
His hands moved then and went to her stomach. "We're going to be parents," he said silently against her hair.  
"Do you think we'll be able to do it?"  
"I think so. Just as long as they never have to taste your cooking."  
"Hey!" She lightly punched his arm.  
"I mean that in the nicest way."  
"Sure you do."  
"Merry Christmas," said Stefan after they stood in silence for a while. "I love you."  
"Merry Christmas, Stefan. I love you too."  
It began snowing then. She felt herself smile for the umpteenth time that day as the sky dropped down pure white snowflakes that coated the yard and trees; creating a real life winter wonderland.

**That's that! Thank you for taking the time to read this and Merry Christmas! Or Hanukkah or Kwanza or whatever it is you celebrate this time of year :D **


End file.
